Races, visits, and a Birthday

For the first time ever, I was able to run in the Charlottesville Women's 4-miler this year!

It wasn't my fastest time by any stretch, but it was a neat experience to be surrounded by so many women. Every year, the race fills up within a day, so I was lucky to get a spot.

I even ran into our Pediatrician and two of her daughters. We love Dr. Ranney!

I ran by myself, but I found several friends afterwards. While I wasn't pleased with my time (9-minute mile average), I was glad I got to run. I definitely want to do it again!

I also reached a new mile-stone in my squat! 210 lbs, baby! Only 15 lbs away from my goal of squatting two plates on each side (225 lbs). It'll happen, but going up even 5 lbs is a slow process.

I've been trying to do my part for the community and have been giving blood every 6 weeks for a bit now. Its nice to feel like I can make a difference.

Grandma and GiGi came to visit one day! They were only here for a few hours, so we took them to Carter's Mountain and then out to dinner. It was fun to share some of our favorite Charlottesville sites with them.

This was GiGi's very first hayride through an apple orchard.

Why were they in town from Florida? To escape a hurricane, of course! 

They were directly in the line of fire for a while, but the hurricane shifted toward the gulf at the last minute and New Smyrna Beach was spared any major damage. Thank goodness! 

There is nothing better than apple cider donuts!

This little girl loves to be in the kitchen with me! Cooking or cleaning, she wants to be right where the action is and "help". I love having a little shadow.

September 14th, this handsome guy turned 12! I can't believe how big he's gotten!

He chose to go to Sushi King to get all-you-can-eat sushi. George was working, so I had the kiddos all by myself. It was an experience, that's for sure!

Afterwards, we got ice cream at Ben and Jerry's.

Happy Birthday, Lance! We sure love you!

Squirrels!

Late in August, Laura's family discovered a dead mama squirrel next to their house. They heard some babies crying and found a nest with five baby squirrels in it. In an effort to save them, they brought them inside and started to nurse them back to health. 

Since Laura was super pregnant, I offered to take the squirrels and bring them to our local rehab center down in Charlottesville. I thought it would be fun for the kids to see and help out with the babies, so we decided to research online how to feed them and kept them for a week before turning them over.

Of all the kids, I think Cole liked them the most.

Even Lexi was excited to see them.

They were super cute and soft, although not a fan of being held much.

Feeding them was tricky. We had to use tiny syringes with puppy formula. They did a decent job, but the baby boy aspirated the formula a couple times in the first few days we had them. I had read online that if the babies aspirate, it can lead to pneumonia and death, but he seemed to be okay, so I didn't worry about it too much.

About a week in, the baby boy squirrel started struggling. He wouldn't eat much and had lost a lot of his energy. Sunday morning while we were getting ready for church, he refused food. I realized he probably had pneumonia from aspirating his formula a few days prior and quickly called the local wildlife rescue place. They redirected me to a lady that rehabs squirrels in her home. While on the phone with this kind individual, the baby squirrel died in my hands. I. Felt. Terrible. The lady told me she would be unable to take the rest since they'd all need to be watched for pneumonia, so I called back the wild life rescue and we spent the morning shuttling the remaining four squirrels to the rehab center.

Jude was crushed.

We buried this little guy next to the forest close to our house, where a squirrel should be. Poor Jude spent the day in tears off and on. 

Hard lesson learned. I should have taken them immediately to a knowledgeable wildlife rehabber instead of trying to do it myself.

The good news, though! I got a call about four weeks later from the rehab center with the news that the baby squirrels were healthy and ready to be released into the wild! I'm glad they made it and are getting a chance to live free and in the wild.

And even though one little squirrel didn't make it, I'm glad my kids got a chance to help care for these babies and learn about caring for those that can't care for themselves.